Jordan Weisman, co-creator with Sean Stewart of the immersive alternate reality novel Cathy's Book, told ICv2 that the book, in which readers follow Cathy as she tries to solve a mystery in which clues send the reader to Websites and phone numbers as it unfolds, has stirred up considerable interest in the book market: 'It's too early to tell in terms of the sell-through,' Weisman told ICv2, 'but sell-in was quite significant. They sold about 125,000 copies of the hardback which in that world is a very big number.'

 

Weisman has not only innovated with this sort of immersive alternate reality game, he is even more famous for his creation of the collectible miniatures game (CMG). He is the Chief Creative Executive for 42 Entertainment, which specializes in immersive entertainment-based marketing campaigns, and it was product placements, such as mentions of Cover Girl cosmetics in Cathy's Book that created a controversy that, judging from the impressive sell-in numbers, may only have increased interest in the volume (see 'Weisman Book in Controversy').

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